Franklin fire called 'suspicious'

A fire that was called suspicious was quickly doused in this apartment building at 4 Pleasant St. in Franklin Friday. (DAN SEUFERT/Union Leader Correspondent)

FRANKLIN - A one-alarm fire at an apartment building at 4 Pleasant St. has been ruled suspicious, and police are looking for two men seen fleeing the building after the fire started.

One tenant suffered minor injuries outside the building as firefighters fought the blaze, which was reported by two neighbors at 5:33 p.m. Ten pets were saved by police and firefighters, said Fire Chief Kevin LaChapelle.

None of the building's tenants were at home when the fire began, and investigators determined that the fire started in a vacant first-floor apartment.

'The apartment was vacant, and two subjects were seen fleeing the building at the time the fire started,' LaChapelle said.

Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters from the Franklin and Tilton-Northfield fire departments found dark smoke coming from the second-floor windows, he said. They managed to contain the flames to the first-floor apartment, but smoke and flames caused damage in several parts of the building.

Fire crews quickly did a primary search of the building, opening all the apartment doors, he said. They didn't find any tenants.

'But we did rescue five dogs, three cats, a rabbit and a parakeet,' LaChapelle said.

The fire was brought under control within a half-hour.

LaChapelle said investigators from the Franklin's fire and police departments are working with investigators from the state fire marshal's office to identify the two men who fled the building.

A section of Route 4 was shut down Wednesday afternoon after a three-vehicle accident occurred, killing one motorist, according to police officials.

The House and Senate ended the current session deadlocked over the question of who gets to decide when local elections should be cancelled due to bad weather or other adverse conditions, leaving the...